Senior Adjunct Professor of South Asia Studies wins 2018 Tata Literature Book of the Year Award

Senior Adjunct Professor of South Asia Studies Walter Andersen‘s book, “Messengers of Hindu Nationalism: How the RSS Reshaped India,” co-authored with freelance journalist Shridhar Damle was selected as Tata Literature Live’s 2018 Book of the Year in its non-fiction category for India-centric content.

As a sequel to the co-authors’ 1987 book, “The Brotherhood in Saffron: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Hindu Revivalism,” the new publication delves into how the RSS responded to the changes that have taken place in India over the last three decades and how they penetrated all parts of Indian society. Despite the RSS and its affiliates’ increasing influence in India, there is a lack of scholarly material available on these Hindu nationalist organizations. As a result, Andersen decided to write the book.

Andersen said conducting research and writing the book took approximately four years partly due to the RSS’s reluctance to media coverage. He added that receiving the Book of the Year award is extremely gratifying since Tata is the most prestigious literary organization in India.

The award was presented at the Ninth Mumbai International Literary Festival on Nov 15, 2018 in Mumbai, India.